Though the frilled shark has 300 needle-shaped teeth in 25 rows, there are even a lot more creatures living in the sea that look much more horrible than him, and here's 10 horrible deep sea creatures on the earth:
Viperfish
The Viperfish (Mesopelagic - found at 80-1600 meters
- about a mile down) is one of the most wicked looking sea monsters.
Some of them are black as night all over with light
organs (called photophores) in strategic places on their bodies, including one
on a long dorsal fin that serves as a lure for the fish it preys upon.
Some viperfish (and many other deep ocean fish
species) don't have any pigment (color) at all - they're transparent. They also
have enlarged eyes, presumably for gathering as much light as possible where
there is little or no light at all.
Fangtooth
The fangtooth, also known as Anoplogaster cornuta, is
another menacing looking creature that inhabits the deep waters of the ocean.
Although it may look like a monster, it only grows to
a size of about six inches in length. It has a short body and a large head. The
fangtooth gets its name from the long, sharp, fang-like teeth that line its
enormous, over-sized mouth. Its gruesome appearance has earned it the name,
"ogrefish".
The color of the adults ranges from dark brown to
black. Juveniles look completely different. They are light gray in color with
long spines on their heads.
The fangtooth is an extreme deep-water species that
lives at depths of about 16,000 feet. The pressure at these depths is intense
and the water temperature is near freezing. Food here is scarce, so the
fangtooth will eat just about anything it can find.
Dragonfish
The Deep Sea Dragonfish, or Grammatostomias
flagellibarba, is a ferocious predator in spite of its small size. It is one of
many species known to inhabit the deep oceans of the world.
This fish grows to about six inches in length. It has
a large head and mouth equipped with many sharp, fang-like teeth. The
dragonfish has a long barbel attached to its chin. This barbel is tipped with a
light-producing organ known as a photophore.
The dragonfish uses this organ like a fishing lure,
flashing it on and off and waving it back and forth. Once an unsuspecting fish
gets too close, it is snapped up in the dragonfish's powerful jaws.
The dragonfish also has photophores along the sides
of its body. These light organs may be used to signal other dragonfish during
mating. They may also serve to attract and disorient prey fishes from deep
below.
The Dragonfish lives in deep ocean waters at depths
of up to 5000 feet (1,500 meters). They are found in most tropical regions
around the world...
Angler
The deep sea angler, known also as Melanocetus
johnsoni, is a grotesque-looking fish that lives in the extreme depths of the
ocean.
Its round body resembles a basketball, and indeed, it
looks like it could easily swallow one. It has a large mouth likes with sharp,
fang-like teeth. Its appearance has earned it a second name of "common
black devil". Despite its ferocious appearance, the angler only reaches a
maximum length of about five inches.
The angler gets its name from the long, modified
dorsal spine which is tipped with a light producing organ known as a
photophore. Like many other deep-water fish, the angler uses this organ like a
lure to attract its prey. It will flash its light on and off while waving it
back and forth like a fishing pole.
When the prey fish gets close enough, the angler
snaps it up with its powerful jaws. A strange fact about the deep sea angler is
the fact that the male is smaller and different in appearance from the female,
which is pictures above. The male of the species is about the size of a finger
and has small hook teeth, which it uses to attach itself to the female.
Once attached, its blood vessels join with that of
the female and it will spend the rest of its life joined to her like a
parasite, getting all of its nourishment from her body. If the male is unable
to attach to a female, it will eventually dies of starvation. The deep sea
angler is found throughout the world at depths of over 3000 feet.
Gulper Eel
The gulper eel, known scientifically as Eurypharynx
pelecanoides, is perhaps one of the most bizarre looking creatures in the deep
ocean.
Its most notable attribute is the large mouth. The
eel's mouth is loosely hinged, and can be opened wide enough to swallow an
animal much larger than itself. The hapless fish is then deposited into a
pouch-like lower jaw, which resembles that of a pelican. In fact, it is
sometimes referred to as the pelican eel. The gulper's stomach can also stretch
to accommodate its large meals. This giant mouth gives the eel its other common
name of umbrellamouth gulper.
The eel also has a very long, whip-like tail.
Specimens that have been brought to the surface in fishing nets have been known
to have their long tails tied into several knots. The gulper eel grows to a
length of about two to six feet and is found in all of the world's oceans at
depths ranging from 3000 to 6000 feet.
Giant Squid
The elusive giant squid, known to science as
Architeuthis dux, is one of the world's largest creatures, reaching a length of
up to 60 feet. It is the largest known Invertebrates in the world.
The giant squid is a mollusk and is member of the
cephalopod class, which includes the octopus and other squids. Very little is
known about these mysterious animals because none have been seen alive in the
wild. Most of what we know about them comes from the bodies of dead squid that
have washed ashore or been pulled up in fishermen's nets. These animals are
carnivores, and will eat just about anything they can catch.
During World War II, stories from the survivors of
sunken ships tell of shipmates being eaten by these creatures in the dark of
night. There have even been reports of giant squid reaching out of the water
and pulling men off small boats. None of these reports have been officially
verified, but they paint a picture of a powerful predator.
The squid's eight long tentacles have strong suction
cups, which they use to hold on to their prey. A sharp, powerful beak finishes
off their helpless victim with eerie efficiency.
The giant squid appears to be a favorite meal for the
sperm whale. They have been found in the stomachs of dead whales and many these
whales bear scars from the squid's suction-cupped tentacles.
Giant Isopod
The giant isopod, known scientifically as Bathynomus
giganteus, is the largest known member of the isopod family.
It is very closely related to the small pillbugs that
you can find in the garden. It is a carnivorous crustacean that spends its time
scavenging the deep ocean floor.
Food is extremely scarce at these great depths, so
the isopod has adapted to eat what ever happens to fall to the ocean floor from
above. It will also feed on some of the small invertebrates that live at these
depths.
Giant isopods are known to reach a size of over 16
inches in length and are one of the largest members of the crustacean family.
These animals are very prehistoric in appearance.
When threatened, the can roll themselves into a tight
ball where they are protected by their strong, armor-plated shells. They have
complex mouths that contain many components that work together to pierce,
shred, and disembowel live or dead prey.
Giant isopods are all over the world at depths of
over 2000 feet.
Coffinfish
The coffinfish (B.melanostomus) has a flabby body and
long tail that are both covered with small spines. It has a black mouth lining
and an illicium (glossary) on the snout that can be lowered into a groove.
This species grows to at least 10cm in length.
B.melanostomus has been trawled in the Central to Eastern Indian Ocean at
depths ranging from 1320m to 1760m. The name melanostomus comes from the Greek
melanos meaning black and stoma meaning mouth.
There are two genera in the family Chaunacidae;
Bathychaunax and Chaunax. Bathychaunax differs from Chaunax by having a lower
lateral line count, longer ilicium, a wider head, more widely spaced body
spines and several skeletal characters.
Vampire squid
The vampire squid, known to scientists as
Vampyroteuthis infernalis, looks more like creature that swam out of a
late-night science fiction movie.
The squid has large fins at the to of its body that
resemble large ears. It is very gelatinous in form, resembling a jellyfish more
than the common squid. The vampire squid has the largest eyes of any animal.
It is a small animal, growing to a length of about
six inches, bit it has globular eyeballs as large as the eyes of a large dog.
The vampire squid's body is covered with light-producing organs called
photophores. This gives the squid the unique ability to "turn itself on or
off" at will.
When the photophores are off, the squid is completely
invisible in the dark waters where it lives. These squid live as deep as 3000
feet. Unlike other squid and octopi, the vampire squid has no ink sack. The
vampire squid's arms are covered with sharp tooth-like spikes. This gives the
animal its name. One pair of arms has been modified into retractile filaments
that can extend to twice the body length of the animal. The squid may use these
arms to capture its prey.
When threatened, the squid can draw its arms up over
itself and form a defensive web that covers its body. The vampire squid can
swim extremely fast for a gelatinous animal. It can reach a speed of 2 body
lengths per second and can accelerate to this speed in only 5 seconds.
If danger is present, it can make several quick turns
in an attempt to escape its enemies. The vampire squid is found throughout the
world in most tropical and temperate regions.
Long-nosed Chimaera
Biologists have gone to great lengths to describe the
long-nosed chimaera, Harriotta raleighana, whose kind can reach five feet in
length. Its stiletto-like nose reminded one of "the nose contour of a
supersonic jet aircraft." Others have dubbed it "rattail," for
obvious reasons.